Means for holding stair carpets and runners in position



L. ROBERTSON Y Nov. 15, 1932.

MEANS FOR HOLDING STAIR CARPETS AND RUNNERS IN POSITION Filed June 1o, 195o 2 sheets-sheet 1 i f. a x 1 HL 6 o a. m 7 i W n u J T l a 3 3 VN n, .L l ll. 1.17 1 X 4 l v [cH a z 12 y a $4 4 7n l u U lflf/Alff .l A ,f Y l s mrruVr/n,

' Nov. 15, 1932.

x.. ROBERTSON V 1,888,146

MEANS FOR HOLDING STAIR CARPETS AND RUNNERS IN POSITION Filed June 10. 1930 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Nov. 15, 1932 UNITED STATES Pzgfrlna'gr oFFIcE II'JEIIUSTOXV ROBERTSON, OF CARDIFF, WALES MEANS ron. HoLDiNG sriun oARPnTs'ANn RUNNERS IN POSITION Application led June 1G, 1930, SerialNo. 460,265, andin Great Britain .Tune v.22, 1929. p

` Thisinventionrelates to stair-carpet fas- 'tening devices and aims to provide improved` 5 landings or the like, and for assistingv the" `folding,istretching and fixing of such carpets to risers above and below winding stair treads. l

Clamprods are Agenerally recognized to oier the best and strongest way of holding stair carpets in .place since they allow a tight stretching of the material. A difficulty with them however is met in the case of a stair of winding treads where occurrent gathers or fullness above and below the treads cannot 'be Vdisposed of. As well known, winding stair treads are narrow at the inside and wide at the outside of the turn and this diierence is often so great that the amount of carpet necessary to be .gathered in at one side against the riser cannot be brought into a single triangular fold. Moreover, the length of the fold measured along the clamp rod may vary with the form of the stairs or pitch of the a spiral.

For these reasons, means heretoforeproposed .for fastening'carpets onto winding stairs have not generally proved successful, there being no adequate provision for adapting 'the fit to diil'erent requirements and at the same time keep all gathers unobtrusive -o'r hidden from sight. Y

This invention makes, use of a light but rigid metal lath,`which is advantageously ad justable longitudinally, supported by its ends in stout Wire-hinge fittings which may themselves be longitudinally adjustable in brachets secured to a riser, thereby enabling ad* justment and placement to be made so as to ensure that all parts will be obscured and yet permit the whole to be moved laterally one Way or the other to adjust the line of the carpet. The range of utility of a set of the fastening members is thus made very large and may be increased by making the end hinge fittings removable from the lath and also from their brackets so that other end fittings can be applied to adapt the lath for use in securing a carpet at both the foot and head of a stairway and also at opposite ends When used as a floor runner.` 1

ln order for the invention to be morev readily understood and employed, it will Vnow be N further described with reference to the apl pended drawings, in' which:

Fig. l lillustrates a preferred embodiment of the fitting or device in `front elevation view;

` Fig. 2 is an elevation thereof on a largerf Scale; Y I c Fig. 3 is atransverse section of astair riser and tread illustrating` the manner oi"l faste-ning a carpet thereto `with gathering in accommodation to a winding case;

Fig.v 4 isa front view illustrating the pet fold in dotted lines; f

Fig. 5 illustratesa modification adapted more especially to hold the carpet at the head of a stair; and l Figs. 6 and 7 are enlarged views of said modification corresponding to Figs. 2 and 3 of the preferred'embodiment.

The grip device shown in Figs-l, 2, Sand 4 consists of a thin steel lath l, which is corrugated or ribbed along its length as represented at 2 fory stitiening and strengthening. This lath has end support on hinge fittings 3 of stout spring steel wire, each in this instance-having a portion 36 doubled upon itself providing a stud'slidableinto the corrugation or a hole at the end of the lathand embraced'by a metal clip 22 for securing thereto. These wire lfittings haveV end portions 3@ extended inparallel relation toand -sipaced from the lath, which are removably -as well as pivotally'a'nd'slidably` fastened to a 'stair riser 4 by""engagement in sleevebrackets 5 screwed to the riser. Each more- 'over has a free endportion 39 bent parallel to and slightly apart from thelath' to lprovide a grip forthe carpet. v

In application, as will be understood, these fittings withV their gripping ends are held out ina more or less horizontal position to pass the carpet between said ends'and the lath. The reserve amount of carpet repre-V sented bythe fold 32 in Figs. 3 and 4 due to the turn Vor wind ofthe stairs is then Y gatheredV or drawn upv behind the lath iny -1700 Calthat the distance between the wire fittings' can be adjusted tothe actual width of the carpet and further that the lath and wires as a whole can be readily moved laterally with the carpet by sliding the ends of the vwires in their brackets 5., 1

Figs. 5, 6 and 7 illustrate how the invention may be applied to hold the top end of a stair carpet under the nose 9 of a landing 10. This is shown done by substituting support wires 33 for the wires 3 of the first described form. These substitute wires are substantially like the former and differ therefrom only in shape as represented, having corresponding end portions 33? fixed in brackets 55 correspondingdouble bends 36X fitting in the lath I and corresponding crank bends 23X allo-wing for the carpet fold. In conjunction therewith, there is Vaffixed to the stair riser, a pair of bell-crank hasps 28 pivoted at 29 so as to be engaged over and hold said wires (33) in tensioned position against the riser. In this case, the reserve length or back-doubled end of the carpet sho-nld be placed over the lath l and drawn down therebehind. It may if desired be drawn down over the next tread or even further, and a clamping rod 3l as ordinarily used may then be applied to hold the carpet at the juncture between the riser andtread, as shown in Fig. 7. Y

What I claim is l. A carpet fastening'device, comprising a fiat metal bar having axial openings in its ends, lateral swing-arms at the ends of the bar having projections slidably fitting into said openings thereof and extremital portions parallel thereto providing swivel pins, and supporting bracket-members having swivel-holes into which said extremital portions of the arms slidably fit in a hinged connection; whereby said arms are rendered removable `from and adjustable toward and from each other in both said bar and said bracket-members.

2. A stair-carpet fastening device, comprising a fiat metal bar having aXial openings in its ends, lateral swing-arms formed by wire pieces at the ends of the bar having double-bend portions slidably fitting into said openings thereof and eXtremital portions bent parallel thereto providing swivel pins, clips engaging the arms in place to a movable relation longitudinally thereof,

the bar, and aiiiXable bracket-members having swivel holes into which said eXtremital portions of the arms slidably fit in a hinge connection; said arms being removable from and adjustable in both said bar and the bracket-members.

3. Carpet holding means comprising a fiat metal rod, swing-arm members removably connected with the ends of the bar in a longitudinally movable relation, and supportbrackets toV which said hinge-members are removably connected on a slidable pivot parallel to the bar; whereby the hinge members are rendered adjustable toward and from each other on both said bar and brackets.

4. A strip-carpet holding device, comprising an extensible flat metal bar, swing-members in the form of bent wire fittings removably connected with the ends of the bar` in and support-brackets to which said members are removably connected on a slide pivot parallel to the bar; said bar and said members being adjustable separately with respect to the'width and marginal lineof the carpet.

5. A carpet fastening, device, comprising a flat metal bar having a stifl'ening rib, lateral swing-arms removably connected at the ends of said bar in movable relation longitudinally thereof, and support-brackets which said arms are removably pivotally connected for slidemovement in directionparallel to the bar, whereby said arms may be adjusted toward and from each other upon both said bar and said brackets. f

' 6. A carpet fastening device, comprising a rigid iiatmetal barvaround which the carpet is looped, lateral swing-arms axed to the ends'of said'bar by projections thereof fitting slidably into axial openings in the same, supporting brackets into which. projections at any end of said arms parallel with the bar slidably fitV in ahinge connection, and projections at the other end of said arms also parallel with the bar providing spring-clip members. i y 4 Signed at Cardiff, Wales, this 26th day of May, 1930. Y

. l l j LENNOX ROBERTSON.

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